FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation and Chadian Football Association due to Government Interference

FIFA has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) due to third-party interference and also the Chadian Football Association (FTFA) due to government interference.

Pakistan’s membership was suspended by the international football body, which also ordered an unrecognized committee to vacate the national football federation’s headquarters in the country.

A FIFA-appointed committee had run Pakistan football since 2019, but members were evicted from their Lahore office last week by a group claiming to have held legitimate elections.

The ban means Pakistan, whose last international match was against Cambodia in June 2019, will no longer get FIFA development funding, worth around $1.25 million a year.

FIFA said in a statement from its headquarters in Zurich;

“The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has been suspended until further notice.

“PFF representative and club teams are therefore no longer entitled to take part in international competitions until the suspension is lifted.”

FIFA said the latest suspension would only be lifted once it has received confirmation from its normalization committee that the PFF premises, accounts, administration, and communication channels are again under its full control.

On the other hand, Chadian Football Association (FTFA) was suspended with immediate effect due to government interference.

The Chadian Ministry of Youth and Sports had stripped the country’s FA of its powers on March 10 following concerns over how it was being run and a communication breakdown. 

The statement read;

“The suspension was prompted by the recent decisions of Chadian government authorities to permanently withdraw the powers delegated to the FTFA, establish a national committee for the temporary management of football and seize control of the FTFA’s premises.”

The suspension will be lifted once the relevant government decisions have been repealed. The FTFA and its management, led by President Moctar Mahamoud Hamid, have confirmed to FIFA that the FTFA premises are again under its control.